India will face Pakistan at the Cricket World Cup on Saturday in a historic showdown between the bitter rivals, sparking frenzied anticipation ahead of elections in both countries next year.
This is the first visit by a Pakistani delegation to India since 2016, marking a rare moment of bilateral engagement. An outbreak of cross-border violence in 2019 resulted in the two nuclear-armed neighbors largely severing political and economic ties.
The race, which has already heightened a heated political atmosphere with figures from both sides exchanging inflammatory remarks in the run-up to the contest, takes on added political significance amid the looming polls.
Indian authorities have stepped up preparations for the match, the most anticipated of the tournament that started last week. The match will be played in Ahmedabad, Modi’s political capital, where the world’s largest cricket stadium named after the Indian prime minister will be packed with more than 100,000 spectators.
In response to the surge in ticket, flight and hotel bookings, officials announced the launch of a special train service to take more fans to the stadium and enjoy pre-game celebrity entertainment. Thousands of security personnel will be deployed.
Mumbai cricket commentator Ayaz Memon said: “India vs Pakistan is the most eye-catching match of the tournament.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board expressed “grave concern and alarm” this week over repeated delays in obtaining Indian visas for its players, journalists and fans, with the team only being granted permission 36 hours before their departure last month.
Right-wing Indian opposition politician Uddhav Thackeray recently attacked Modi for hosting a country that “supports terrorism”, while Pakistan’s top cricket official branded India an “enemy country”.
Some have criticized Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which controls the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the country’s governing body for cricket, for an apparent attempt to gain political gain from the World Cup. All the most important matches, including next month’s final, will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, which will be renamed the Prime Minister Stadium in 2021 after renovations.
Melbourne cricket writer Gideon Haigh said: “The BCCI is a willing and deferential tool of the BJP at the beginning of its long march towards next year’s election, so everything is carefully designed to pay tribute to Modi. Show your best strengths.” “Cricket is almost not secondary, almost an afterthought.”
Fan DD Pandey, who watched the India-Afghanistan match in Delhi this week, said Modi would be inspired if India, the favorites in the match, won. He said the Indian team was “encouraged by Modi”. “India is a growing economy and the World Cup helps improve our image.”
India and Pakistan have fought several wars since their violent partition in 1947 and relations between the two countries have deteriorated, so games between the two countries have become increasingly rare.
Although the two sides continue to play each other at international events such as the World Cup, India has refused to participate in one-on-one series over the past decade because of what it says is Pakistan’s support for militant groups in the disputed territory of Kashmir. India also refused to travel to Pakistan for this year’s Asia Cup, forcing the tournament to be moved to Sri Lanka.
This alienation coincides with vast differences in the economic fortunes of neighboring countries. India is currently the world’s most populous country with 1.4 billion people and a rapidly growing economy. The Indian Premier League, a 15-year-old domestic cricket tournament, is the most profitable in the sport.
In contrast, Pakistan has experienced one political and economic crisis after another. Major teams including England and Australia have avoided the country for more than a decade due to security concerns, while Pakistani players have been effectively blacklisted from the IPL.
“India is way ahead in every aspect,” said SM Hussain, a Karachi-based cricket writer. “Pakistan cricket lacks consistency. But they have a good team and they rely on their talent to survive and compete.”
Indian fans enthusiastically welcomed Pakistan, who are ranked second in the world in the sport’s one-day format, into the match and gave them a hearty ovation for their victory against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
But analysts said there was little chance the historic visit would translate into a détente ahead of the respective polls in both countries, as nationalist invective can be a useful campaign tool.
“Cricket matches between India and Pakistan tend to be icebreakers, but relations never improve,” said Ronojoy Sen, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore who has written about sports.
Rohit Agarwal, a fan from Gwalior in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, said the atmosphere inside the stadium would be “exciting” amid the tense political backdrop.
“The Pakistan cricket team is very strong,” he said, adding: “When it comes to Pakistan, our geopolitical tensions always bother me.
“The India-Pakistan match is more than just a cricket match.”
Svlook
